You Recognize Me
by Dramaticdragon99
Summary: ((Partner fic to I Recognize You! You can read it in any order because it's literally the same story just from a different point of few)) Instead of one dramatic reveal, what if Adrien found out who Ladybug was little by little. Instead of one sudden moment of reveal, what if their reveal was a slow, daily discovery, finding out more about each other.
1. Chapter 1

Adrien sat happily in science class. Things were going well for him. He had a great friend who always showed him the best music, and who introduced him to his other great friends, Alya and Marinette! When he first met Marinette, things were kind of weird. He never quite put a finger on just what it was, but there was something off. Of course, she hardly said a word to him for a while, so it could just be that. But now, things were getting better! They were hanging out, telling jokes and being comfortable with each other! It was super great! And lately she seemed even more comfortable with him, asking him questions about himself and stuff like that. She sure was nice. Of course, whenever she asked him a question, Alya would give her some look that threw her off for a while, but it was the thought that counted, right?

He couldn't help himself but draw a little smiley face on the side of his notebook, but right as he finished, he felt something shake, and immediately looked up.

The screen in front of them that was giving them confusing notes on neural pathways was changed, replaced by an angry face.

"Hear me now, citizens of Paris!" He shouted angrily into the screen, and Adrien heard a similar echo coming from other classrooms. This guy must be reaching every screen in Paris, kind of like Lady Wifi did. Which reminded him- This is an akuma.

"I, the Shocker, shall teach you a thing or two about electricity!"

Adrien sighed, rushing out along with the other students as the teacher herded them to safety. He never really found running in the streets to get home 'safety', but he wasn't going to complain, since it gave him the perfect opportunity to transform without needing an excuse.

Adrien couldn't help but find the akuma a little humorous- and angry I.T. worker! Not the most threatening, after all. It took Ladybug all of one minute to figure out how to beat him, and figuring out that the akuma was in his Bluetooth earpiece. The hard part was actually getting it.

After the fight, Cat Noir walked up to her as she threw her used Lucky Charm into the air to purify everything around her.

"Pound it!" They chanted together, sharing their fistbump again.

"Thanks for that Cataclysm, Cat," Ladybug grinned, patting Cat's shoulder.

Adrien felt his insides swell with pride at her praise. And it was true, his Cataclysm was super helpful!

"No worries, my Lady," He answered with a bow.

As he bowed, he noticed his bangs covering his eyes up. He sighed to himself, brushing it back as he stood back up. He could tell she found it a little funny, watching her giggle a little.

"I need a haircut," He chuckled, brushing the last bit of bangs away.

"I thought cats were supposed to have a mane," Ladybug said, laughing and crossing her arms.

"Wild, untamed cats, yes," Cat corrected, personally offended that she would compare him to a wild cat, "While _I_ am civilized and proper."

"Hah, sure thing," Ladybug laughed, shaking her head, "Well, I'll see you later, Mr. Civilized and Proper."

"Goodbye, Ladybug!" He waved as she flew away. He smiled to himself. Even when she was teasing him for his hair, she was still cute.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, how do you think you did on that test yesterday?" Alya asked the two boys as they turned their chairs to face the two girls behind them. This morning ritual was one of Adrien's favorites, since they would be like a close little group chit-chatting and laughing together.

"Oh, you mean the one I _bombed?_ " Nino answered with a sigh. Adrien felt bad for his friend, but at the same time, he really never studied for them…

"That's the one," Alya nodded, and Adrien figured she had a similar result.

"Yeah, that was crazy hard!" Marinette joined in, "That last short answer question didn't even make _sense_!"

"I think I at least got a B," Adrien finally joined in, crossing his fingers, "But I won't be surprised if I don't."

Adrien was usually confident in his grades, and we has still pretty confident in this one, but if he acted like he just got a one hundred while everyone else failed, that would be a jerk move.

"Dude, if you get anything below an 80, I'm _screwed_." Nino said as she smacked his head against Alya's desk. Adrien patted his back to help him out, knowing Nino was being dramatic.

"Let's just hope for the best, I guess," Marinette laughed, joining Adrien and patting Nino's head.

"I didn't even have time to cram or anything," Adrien sighed, leaning back in his chair with a pout, remembering the night before the test, "I had to get a haircut!"

Normally, his haircuts were quick, but he recently got a new stylist who took five years just to decide if the left side was good enough.

"For real? What, was it a centimeter too long?" Alya laughed, looking at him in faux shock.

"It's my bangs," Adrien answered with a smirk, pointing up to them, "They grow fast."

He wasn't lying, either! He was like one of those elementary school girls whose hair just kept _growing,_ especially in the bangs. He even debated wearing a hair-tie once and a while just to get it out of the way.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Alya laughed, holding up her hands, "My mistake."

Adrien heard Marinette laugh with her, and he couldn't help but join a little at her antics. Alya was dramatic, too. How did a little homeschooled model make such dramatic friends?

"I haven't had a haircut in a while," Marinette mentioned, brushing her hair lightly.

"It looks nice long!" Alya said quickly.

"Aw, you think?" Marinette blinked, and Adrien was happy to see her so flattered at a small compliment, even if he didn't say it.

"Yeah!" Alya agreed, and Adrien couldn't help but nod with her. Honestly, he didn't care much if her hair was long or not, it looked fine either way. He was nodding to make his friend happy, which was more important than hair, after all. In fact, Adrien was about to say something nice about it, but before he got the words out, class started.

Adrien got the high B he was expected, which was a relief. He could watch as Nino physically deflated when he saw his grade.

"Dude, I can help you study or something," Adrien offered. He was being honest, too, he was happy to help him study.

"I need a miracle worker, not a tutor…" Nino said, his voice muffled since his head was down.

"I'll put a message for Ladybug on the Ladyblog for you, Nino," Alya joked.

Adrien laughed with her, wishing it were just that easy. Put a message on the Ladyblog and reach her, just like that. If that were true, he'd be the blog's most frequent visitor. Well, he was anyway, but still.

"What kind of grades do you think Ladybug actually gets?" He asked, facing the girls. He already had an entire mental list of what he thought she was like, but he wanted their opinions, too.

"All A's, definitely!" Alya answered immediately, "She's definitely the smart type."

"Really?" Marinette asked, she seemed pretty surprised, "How can you tell?"

"She's a natural leader! And you can tell, she's super precise about everything, she _has_ to be an all A student. Probably in some honor thing, too." Alya explained passionately. Adrien agreed with her whole thing, nodding with her. She was bound to be some kind of genius!

"What about Cat Noir?" Nino asked, startling Adrien, "How do you 'analyze' him, Alya?"

"Hmmm…" Alya started, and Adrien couldn't help but smile, ready for his friend to unknowingly analyze him, "He's definitely not failing anything, but he's probably not an all A like Ladybug. Maybe… Maybe a B-C average? Except in P.E., obviously."

Adrien couldn't tell if he was offended or not. It was good that he was that indistinguishable from his counterpart, but at the same time, he was an all A student! He at least deserved credit for that…

"Do you think their superhero strength carries over to their normal lives?" Marinette asked, as the group gathered their books to leave.

"Probably!" Alya answered proudly, "Maybe not to the super extreme extent, but like, enough for them to be the top of their class, y'know? I bet he's the captain of some sport team, too."

Well… Fencing?

"What sports do you think they play?" Nino asked as they started to leave the school, "Don't you think they'd be concerned over their identities? Like, won't someone notice if some random basketball player has superstrength?"

Fencing, not basketball, Nino.

"Well, like I said," Alya corrected with her signature sass, "the whole _super_ strength doesn't carry over, they're just better than others, like a really athletic kid or something.

"Whatever you say," Nino laughed, "I gotta get going, see you guys later!"

"I should get going soon, too," Alya started, checking her phone, "I'm being summoned for babysitting duties.

"All right, see you Alya! Text me!" Marinette waved, Adrien waving as well.

Adrien saw his driver pull up for his _fencing_ lessons, and waved his goodbyes to Marinette.

"Have fun!" He heard her call as he walked away.

She sure was nice. He smiled and waved another goodbye as he was driven off. He was glad to be her friend.

On the car ride to his lessons, he thought about Ladybug. He really wished he knew more about her. As enjoyable as making conspiracy theories with his friends was, he would much rather have a concrete image of Ladybug. But he would never push her for it, but still, he'd love to know more about her. Maybe one day she'll open up more…


	3. Chapter 3

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Cat noir celebrated with a fistbump. They had just defeated an akuma who possessed an angry student who felt like it was the _teachers_ fault for their failing grades. Adrien found people like that a little ridiculous, since the teacher isn't the one who took the test and got the 50, it was in fact the student.

"That was a wonderful show, my Lady," Cat said as they separated. He was talking about when Ladybug took his usual role of "the distraction", so Cat could get a change to use his Cataclysm just right. She was a fantastical ball of flips and insults when she really wanted to be a good distraction. To be honest, Cat was actually kind of jealous- being the distraction was his job, and she still did it better! But he can't be surprised, since his Lady is pretty fantastic at everything.

"It was _interesting_ , to say the least," Ladybug laughed, "I just hope you aren't that childish, Cat; blaming a teacher for your own grades."

"Me, childish?" Cat scoffed, "My Lady, you insult me. And for your information, I happen to be a neighborhood genius!"

"Really?" She asked suspiciously, "Are you lying to me, Cat?"

"I've never lied to you, remember?" Cat answered, shaking his head and crossing his arms, "Exaggerate, maybe. But never lie!"

He wasn't lying, either! He got really good grades, and Nino has verbatim called him the _neighborhood genius!_ So even his title was true. More or less.

Ladybug just laughed, and patted his shoulder.

"You're right." Well, I'll have to look out during the next science fair for my _neighborhood genius_ ," Ladybug jokes, poking his nose. The teasing contact made him far happier than it should have, honestly.

"I happen to be your certified Brainiac!" Cat tossed back, hoping to keep up their playful banter. Seeming a little cocky was the least of his worries if it made Ladybug smile.

"What's the highest grade you've ever even gotten, kitty?" Ladybug quizzed, crossing her arms.

"I've had my fair share of hundreds, I'll have you now!" He shot back, "And you, Ladybug? I assume you're the highest in your class, too?"

He believed that in every fiber of his being that his Lady was a genius in everything she did. She probably had the whole class tripping over themselves to be her partner in projects, and always flooding her phone with questions about the lesson. Heck, she could say she is smarter than the teacher and Adrien wouldn't doubt it.

"Ready for a surprise?" Ladybug laughed, continuing at Cat's nod, "I'm a high Be average."

"Really?" Cat asked, surprised. Really?! Not all A's, not a perfect dream-student, who the teachers invite into the teachers' lounge to ask her questions about their professions?

Well, that last one was a little bit of a stretch, but still, the point of the matter is that one fact Adrien held as completely true was shattered before him!

"Really." Ladybug started, probably ignoring his shocked expression. He tried to make it sound like joking surprised, but it probably didn't come out that well.

"As shocking as it may sound," She continued, "being a superhero takes out a lot of my energy away from studying."

"Well, if my Lady ever needs a tutor…" Cat smirked, holding out his hand. He tutored some of his friends, so he would of course _love_ to tutor his love!

"I'll figure it out on my own, but thanks," Ladybug giggled, shaking her head. Adrien was disappointed, but tried not to let it show too much. That would be rude.

Right as he pulled his hand back, he heard her earrings beep again, signaling their parting.

They flew off in their separate ways, and Adrien was lost in thought as he ran back home, sliding through the open window of his room. He heard Plagg mention something about food as they separated, but ignored it. He rushed over to his desk, and grabbed a bright red notebook. Using his black pen, he scratched out 'All A student' from his list of ideas of what Ladybug must be like.

As disappointed as he was to be _wrong_ about what she was like, he was even happier to find out something about her _from_ her. That happiness easily outweighed his momentary disappointment. In the place of 'All A student' he wrote 'High B average'.

"She's more realistic this way," He mumbled to himself, proud of his findings. He glanced through the rest of his bullet points on the list. 'Possibly in the same grade?' was because of Alya finding her book leftover at an akuma scene, but that was never confirmed. 'Musician?' was from her immediate reaction to the Horrification: music. She put together the broom-guitar extremely quickly and played it really well, so she probably at least had some musical experience! A few others were more guesses than from any actual experiences, such as 'Leo or Aries' and 'Dislikes math'.

"I wonder what school she goes to…" Adrien sighed, flipping to the next page. It had a list of all schools nearby, since she had to at least be somewhat close.

"What if she went to _your_ school?" Plagg mumbled, too busy eating too speak clearly.

Adrien chuckled, looking up.

"I would have recognized her by now, obviously!" He sassed, holding up his notebook as proof.

"Well, think of it like this- Marinette and Alya have both seen you up close as Cat, right?" Plagg asked, actually turning around this time.

"Yeah. Alya saw me when we cured her of her akuma and we were all on the roof, and Marinette helped me when Nathanael turned into an akuma. But what does that have to do with what school Ladybug goes to?"

"They saw you up close as Cat Noir, but didn't recognize you as Adrien…" Plagg spoke slowly, as if to a child.

It took Adrien a moment, then the lightbulb went off and he realized what Plagg was implying. They both saw him up close as both, and did not recognize him. So he very well could have seen Ladybug up close without recognizing her, either! Or even vice versa!

"But they aren't invested in Cat Noir or anything," Adrien hummed, "But I'm in _love_ with Ladybug, I'd have to recognize her, right?"

"The mask is pretty hard to figure out, kid." Plagg laughed, zooming away and flying back into his cheese pile, as his way of saying 'I am done with our conversation'.

Adrien sighed again, resting his hand against his chin. Maybe he _had_ seen her before. The more he thought about it, the more classmates he realized have seen him up close as both Adrien and Cat Noir. Heck, he's been in Chloe's house as Cat Noir like three times! But he didn't think she cared enough to recognize him, so that wasn't a very good point. But almost all of his classmates got a very good look when the Horrificator trapped them all together, and any of his classmates that turned into an akuma probably got a good look when they were cured. Heck, Alya has an entire _blog_ with the superheros on it (albeit more Ladybug than Cat Noir) and she didn't recognize him! Maybe she needed better glasses!

Adrien laughed at his little mental joke, then refocused himself.

Given the hypothetical possibility that Ladybug did in fact go to his school, who could she be? It would actually make sense if she _did_ go to his school, since they showed up for the Horrificator at about the same time, and she seemed to know the layout of the school very well. And if Alya's book theory was correct, she could even be in his class!

But he didn't try to narrow it down to his class just yet, he had to at least think of the whole school first. Unfortunately, he didn't know the whole school very well to do much detective work. He could at least narrow it down to who it could _not_ be, since the ones who turned into an akuma obviously weren't Ladybug.

 _Oh!_ Adrien thought with a jump, _She told me what kind of grades she got!_

Quickly, Adrien went through a mental list of the classmates whose grades he did know. High B average was kind of vague, and relatively common. He knew it wasn't Alix, Mylene, or Julika then. But at the same time, he already eliminated all three, since they had all become akumas at one point or another…

"Man, being a detective is hard work." Adrien grumbled, flipping through his notebook for anything that stood out.

 _Good sense of humor!_ He considered that to be a universal constant with Ladybug, since her jokes always made him happy. He thought through the schoolmates who he knew had a similar sense of humor. He could think of a few, but none of them stood out with the exact same level of unique confidence that Ladybug had.

"I guess I'll just have to look out for 'high B' girls in the area," Adrien laughed to himself, giving up for a little while.


	4. Chapter 4

As Adrien lazily wrote notes in class, he started to drift off in though. The possibility that the love of his life could be in the same building as him (possibly in the same _room_!) was driving him wild. Did he see her at the lockers? Did he see her in the hallway? Did she see him? What did she think of him? Did she like his hair? What if she thought he was _cute_?! What if Ladybug's secret identity had a crush on Adrien!

Hah, that was a little ridiculous. There's no way Ladybug had a crush on him, secret identity or otherwise. But it was pretty fun to dream.

But still, maybe they _did_ see each other at school, especially if they had class together!

But there was still a part of him that was a little worried over it. Ladybug always seemed against sharing anything about her identity. Is trying to guess who she is against her wishes? Would she be mad?

 _Well_ , Adrien thought with a smirk, _With what little I have to work with, she should be pretty impressed if I actually do figure it out!_

Focusing back on who she might be, Adrien started to think about his classmates. Almost all of the girls in his class had turned into an akuma at one point or another. And besides, out of all the classmates left over, the only one who would even make a tiny bit of logical sense was Marinette. And for a 'logical sense' it didn't make much sense.

Actually…

It kind of made some sense.

Well, some at least. She fit the 'High B' grade requirement. She also fit the 'probably lives in close proximity to the school' requirement. But most of the students of the school fit that requirement. She probably fit the physical traits, too. Adrien never really paid attention to how tall his friends were or how their cheeks looked in the afternoon sun like he did with Ladybug, but based on his estimate Marinette probably was pretty close. The only problem was their personality.

Marinette was always stuttering to Adrien, and she never walked more than three feet without tripping over something. But then again, Adrien and Cat Noir weren't exactly twins, so Adrien guessed personality wasn't a very good argument.

Also, she didn't seem that interested in Ladybug or Cat Noir. Adrien was the most frequent guest of the Ladyblog (probably even moreso than Alya herself!), and he never saw her comment or like any of the photos. It was pretty odd, since Alya was her best friend after all! So if Marinette _was_ trying to hide some connection to Ladybug, she was doing a darn good job.

But then again, he could be totally wrong and have no idea who Ladybug really is. Maybe during the next akuma attack, she'd give him another little hint…


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien sighed, glancing down at the table below him. Two piles for him, six for Marinette. Marinette had already won three rounds of their little Go Fish tournament, and she was pretty close to winning her fourth. They had made this a little bit of a habit during their lunches, although usually Alya and Nino were with them too.

"Do you have any kings?" Adrien asked, praying internally.

"Go fish."

If she wasn't a dear friend of his, Adrien would glare back to her evil smirk. He grabbed another card from the pile. It was a seven. He did not even have a single seven in his whole hand!

"Any two's?" Marinette asked.

"Nope! Go fish!" Adrien grinned proudly, watching with glee as she grabbed another card from the pile. Even if she _was_ winning, saying 'go fish' was always satisfying.

Unfortunately, his luck didn't last, and Marinette was now winning with four rounds under her belt.

"I don't get it, you're like the _card master_!" Adrien whined, gathering up his cards with a pout.

"It's Madam Card Master, to you," Marinette corrected.

Adrien chuckled a little at her correction. It was nice that she was relaxed enough to make little jokes like that, as opposed to running away like she used to. When she got comfortable, she was ridiculously fun to hang out with.

"Is there like, a cheat or something? How did you get so good at a kid's game?" Adrien asked suspiciously. Did he have a mirror behind him for her to check his cards or something?!

"It's not cheating, it's skill," Marinette answered.

"But it's _Go Fish_! There's like no skill involved!" He laughed, trying to imagine the most 'skill' one can have in Go Fish.

"There's enough skill involved for me to be better. Wanna go again?" Marinette offered with the same smirk as before. If Adrien wasn't Cat Noir himself, he'd accuse her of being him.

"No… Let's try a different game. Rummy?" He answered, trying to give himself a break from the embarrassing losing streak of Go Fish.

But all he did was start another losing streak of Rummy.

"I'm never playing anything with cards with you again," Adrien whined, 'glaring' at her.

"There's plenty of games I'm not good at, like dominoes and poker." Marinette laughed at him.

"But I don't think we'll play much poker at lunch," He huffed, then thought of another challenge, "But I bet I can make better card houses!"

"Let's see!" She challenged back, cutting the deck and giving him half.

Adrien's pride finally recovered as he was able to build a way better card house than Marinette, even adding a little French fry fence on the side.

"Adrien, that's amazing," Marinette breathed, only pushing his pride even higher. She always complimented like she really meant it, not like those fangirls who spewed out heartless compliments. That's one of the many things he was starting to like more and more about Marinette, she was so genuine!

"They don't stay up long," He laughed, trying to humble his quickly growing ego, "But being homeschooled with no friends really teaches you how to make a good card house."

Marinette giggled at his joke and gathered up the cards.

"Do you want to head back to school?" Marinette offered, shoving the cards into her backpack.

Adrien nodded after checking his watch, and got up with her. Right as he was grabbing to pick up his back from the chair next to him, he heard a ground-shaking crash from just outside of the building. He joined the crowd who rushed to the window to see what happened, and saw yet another akumatized young girl.

"I'm _tired_ of being disrespected by little children!" She shouted, throwing some kind of magic balls around her, handcuffing the children around her, "You will listen to me, The Sitter, and you will do exactly as I say!"

Adrien took a half a second to recollect himself, then grabbed his bag noticed the main crowd rushing out the back door. He made sure that Marinette was with them, not wanting her to get hurt in the crossfire. Thankfully, she was, calling out to him to make sure he got out, too.

"Adrien! We need to get out!"

Following her lead, they ran out with the masses. But now they needed to separate, because he actually needed to stay.

"Follow the crowd," He ordered Marinette, pointing her in the direction of the crowd, quickly thinking of some excuse, "I'm going to stay and, um, c-call the police!"

"No, Adrien, you need to leave!" Marinette shouted. As flattered as he was that she was concerned, he needed to stay.

"Just go!" He yelled, pushing her into the rushing crowd. He didn't like ever pushing anyone, but this was for her safety! His little 'hints' that she could be Ladybug was nowhere near as pressing as his need to keep her safe. If she wasn't Ladybug, she could get hurt, and Adrien didn't want to be some selfish jerk who put his friends in danger just to find out who his crush was.

But as Adrien tried to find a place for him to transform and actually keep hidden- he kept going back and forth because people were everywhere!- he noticed a rushing red blur coming right towards him. Before he even had a moment to gasp or say her name, she grabbed his arms and lifted him up, flying him off away from the dangerzone and into the crowds. And if Adrien wasn't so surprised at how quickly she swept him away, he would have enjoyed being held by her a lot more. Not to say he didn't enjoy it now, of course.

He knew he probably looked like some surprised child when she put him down.

"Get to safety!" She ordered, "Leave helping the people to the superheros!"

She patted him on the back, then just like that she zoomed off back to the fight.

Adrien allowed him a moment or two to bask in how amazing that just was- he was picked up and carried by Ladybug, and he saw her selfless heart in action! _Man_ she was amazing.

But after the moment of basking in her glory, he focused on the task at hand, and quickly rushed to join her, this time as her equal.


	6. Chapter 6

"I gotta say," Adrien laughed, as Cat Noir, watching the red wave clean the recent fight scene, "These akumas are getting ridiculous."

Ladybug nodded and laughed, pulling back her yoyo. She approached him, causing his heartrate to pick up slightly.

"You okay, though?" She asked, cupping his cheek, _definitely_ causing his heartrate to speed up, "You took a pretty hard hit back there."

He knew she would bring this up. For as often as Cat Noir jumped in front of Ladybug to protect her, you'd think she'd be used to it by now. But she always seemed concerned and checked up on him afterwards- one of the many things he loved about her. This time it was even more appreciated, since it was a pretty rough hit right to the face. He could tell by her expression that she appreciated his help, but was mostly worried.

"As long as you're safe, Ladybug, I'm fine," He answered with a slight smirk. He meant that in the deepest fiber of his being. If Ladybug ever got hurt when he had the change to take the blow for her, he'd never forgive himself. He would take a million arrows, magic bullets, time-zapping touches, or whatever else an akuma could throw at him if it meant keeping his Lady safe.

"I'm serious. You need to be careful, alright?" Ladybug sighed, patting his shoulder gingerly.

The pain from the hit had all but evaporated at her gently touches. She had a bit of a 'healing affect' on him, after all.

"I am" He promised, giving her hand an equally gentle kiss.

"If you say so," Ladybug rolled her eyes, taking back her hand to Adrien's sadness, "But I don't see how you can be reckless and careful at the same time."

"I'm special," Cat joked, waving at himself for added dramatic appeal. His ring beeped in the middle of his wave, though.

"I'll see you later then," Ladybug laughed, but stopped herself before she left and grabbed Cat's arm.

"But seriously," She said, her deep eyes baring into his soul, "Thank you."

Adrien could feel his stomach shiver at her kindness- as if he couldn't love her _more_! But he had an image to maintain, and tried to regain some composure.

"Always happy to be of service!" He grinned, laughing as he ran off.

Adrien sat in class, trying to console Nino. A 75 wasn't _bad_ , necessarily, but when you were already in a rough spot every grade counted.

After a few failed attempts to cheer him up, he saw Alya walk in. He hoped she could do what he couldn't and actually cheer his friend up.

"What's wrong?" He heard her ask Marinette.

Adrien glanced behind him and noticed Marinette in a similar position to Nino, and he felt a tiny wave of guilt go through him. He hadn't thought to check up on Marinette!

"Ouch…" Alya whispered as she saw Marinette hold up her quiz. Adrien wondered for a moment what she got, since she was usually pretty confident in her grades.

"What'd you get?" Nino asked, prompting Adrien to turn around all the way to face the girls.

"82," Alya answered after checking her paper, "And you guys?"

"75," Nino sighed, shrugging, "Meh."

"I got a 96," Adrien answered quietly. He always felt kind of guilty when he got an amazing grade while his friends suffered.

"Man, this is so unfair. I studied and everything!" Marinette whined, smacking her head back against the desk.

"Sounds like you need a tutor." Alya prescribed, "This is the second bad grade you've gotten recently in this class."

"I am _not_ paying for a tutor," Marinette answered, making an 'X' with her arms.

"I'll help you for free, if you want," Adrien offered, almost purely off of his instinct to help his friend.

"I don't want to be a bother…" Marinette shrugged shyly, waving her hand.

"No, it's fine!" Adrien replied happily, "It'll help me study, too."

"Are you sure?" She checked. She was so considerate!

Adrien nodded happily, honest about the whole 'helping me study, too' part. Studying with a friend was always better than alone.

"Thank you, again, Adrien. You're a huge help!" Marinette thanked happily, and her sweet smile made Adrien almost get up and hug her right then.

"Don't worry about it, you're my friend! Besides, I'm always happy to be of service." He laughed, catching himself a moment too late. Thankfully, Nino was laughing with him, so he could take a moment to compose himself.

His first panic was that Alya was there. She was the owner of the _Ladyblog_ , and if anyone knew Cat's most common phrases, it was her. Thankfully his glance at her proved that nothing was amiss, and she was simply grinning at Marinette, happy for her friend. Adrien had a secondary panic, that now flooded his brain.

Didn't he have that one suspicion that Marinette could be Ladybug? Well, if she was Ladybug, she'd definitely be recognizing _that_ … Oops.


	7. Chapter 7

Adrien sat at the bench in the park, waiting as he watching his photographer yell at his staff. They were taking a fifteen minute break because one of the staff messed up with the lighting and the photographer had to let off some steam. Adrien felt kind of bad for the poor worker getting yelled at, but he still enjoyed the break. Modeling was oddly exhausting.

He took a sip of his water bottle, glancing down at his open backpack, watching Plagg eating some cheddar cheese sticks. Adrien has gotten used to his bag smelling like cheese, so he enjoyed the sight of Plagg happy. As annoying and needy as Plagg was, he was still someone Adrien held as very important. Kind of like some magic brother, that you love to hate and hate to love.

Adrien glanced back up to the staff, still too worked up to even notice if just transformed right now, in the middle of the park. Not that he would, of course.

The thought of him being Cat Noir led him to the thought of Ladybug, as it so often did. Lately, however, his thoughts on Ladybug were a little different. For the longest time, he acted like she was some idol or goddess that he could never reach, as much as he tried. She was this whole separate entity in herself, like a whole new level of human being. But lately, as he learned more about her the more he started to think of her as someone who was more… human. Like, someone he could know, someone he could talk to, someone who he could be friends with. He realized that she was a person with flaws, and yet that realization somehow made her even more perfect.

He started to trail off into the idea of who she could be. He had been going through a bit of a stage of… denial.

He had enough 'proof' to realistically consider Marinette as Ladybug, but the first thing in his head that kept popping up was "it can't be that easy". His love can't possibly be the girl who sits behind him every day, who trips over her own backpack, who stutters when she's flattered, who gets a B average in school, and who cheats at Go Fish.

But that was the hard part.

It _is_ possible.

He tried to connect some more of the dots of Marinette and Ladybug, to see what else matched up. Both of them were dangerously selfless, always putting others first. Both were natural leaders- a superhero and a class representative! Both were sweet and warmed Adrien's heart from the inside.

Yeah, that was the big one. As much as Adrien tried to deny it, and boy did he try, there was this _something_ about Marinette that he had only ever seen in Ladybug. It was this unseen, undetectable thing, but it was _something_. Adrien had friends, like Nino and Alya and some of his friends from modeling. He was friends with Alix, Mylene and Julika, all of whom were very nice girls, so he knew it wasn't just some 'girl' thing. No, this was something unique. It was almost like Marinette and Ladybug had this strange force about them that made people happy, no matter the situation. Like there was some power they shared, without them even realizing it themselves. It was this unique, special, never-before-seen ability to absolutely brighten Adrien's day.

And Marinette and Ladybug were the only two to have this ability.

And as bad as 'evidence' as this was, this _feeling_ , Adrien considered that the strongest piece of evidence connecting them into one person. Even though it was a possibility, nothing proven yet, still…

It felt _right_.


	8. Chapter 8

Adrien sat at his desk, diligently taking notes. Well, _diligently_ was a relative term, because he _was_ taking notes, just not on what the teacher was talking about. He was, in his own little private code, thinking of ways he could figure out if Marinette was in fact Ladybug. Because now he was past stage one of Denial, and now he was to stage two: Hope. If Marinette really was Ladybug, that would arguably the greatest news Adrien had and will ever receive in his entire lifetime.

The only thing crossing his mind other than Ladybug and Marinette was noticing Nino smirking as he wrote a letter and passed it back and forth with Alya. Thankfully, the teacher had yet to notice anything. Adrien was a little curious, but didn't put too much thought into it.

Their little letter passing continued, and he heard a tiny noise from Marinette behind him. She must be included in this little letter excursion. For a split second, he was a bit jealous since he was the only one not included, but he shrugged it off. He saw the letter go back to Nino, who grinned and gave a thumbs up.

Adrien's cat-like curiosity won out, and he looked behind him suspiciously of exactly what they were talking about. But Marinette seemed to be purposely ignoring his questioning looks, so he simply turned back around and got to work.

After class, Adrien planned to spend his lunch period by the park and maybe have some chips from the vending machine along with his normal lunch. But his plan was quickly stopped when Alya grabbed his wrist, keeping him on the school's front steps.

"Adrien!" She called, pulling him back, "We _have_ to show you these pictures from the class trip!"

Adrien tilted his head, noticing Marinette run out of his peripheral.

"Uh, Alya, I was on that trip, remember?" He laughed, pulling back his hand but not leaving.

"Yes, I know, but you didn't see the pictures I took!" She reminded, holding up her phone like it held the truth to the universe.

Adrien chuckled a little and nodded. He knew she was a reporter at heart and valued her pictures highly, so he just figured she needed someone to show them off to. And he'd much rather spend his lunch with a friend than alone, after all.

Nino joined them, sitting next to Adrien on the steps, clearly ignoring Alya as she went through all the pictures. Whatever they were 'planning', if this was it, Alya forgot it in exchange for focusing on her pictures. A proud reporter she was.

Right as she got to the last picture, Adrien noticed someone coming towards them, but before he even had a change to look up, Nino sat up.

"There she is!" He greeted, clearly happy for the distraction from Alya's rambles. He held out his hands in a grabby motion towards the container Marinette was holding as she walked up to join them.

"Let's eat!" Alya ordered loudly, opening it up and grabbing a croissant from the container.

Adrien grinned at them, excited to eat one, too.

"Aw, thanks!" He smiled, holding back his hands from grabbing the whole thing. If the smell alone was indication of how it tasted, then he really needed to reign in that self-control.

"They're fresh, too!" Marinette smiled, happily giving him one, "I hope you like them, Adrien."

"Is this what you guys were planning in class, with the thumbs up?" He accused before taking a bite. Before he could properly enjoy this, he needed to figure out the culprit.

Nino answered with a laugh, shoving his mouth with his croissant.

"That's really nice of you guys…" Adrien chuckled, not sure if he should be confused or just flattered. But before he could get too deep in turmoil, he took his first bite.

In that moment, he knew he really, _really_ hoped Marinette was Ladybug.

"Oh, Marinette, these are great!" He beamed, hoping he wasn't getting spit all over her.

"Thanks," She grinned with pink cheeks, "But I didn't make these, it was my parents. I'll tell them you said that, though!"

Adrien nodded quickly, hoping she gave her parents a full oath of gratitude. And part of Adrien knew that even though Marinette didn't make this one batch, hers were just as good, if not better.

The group ate in blissful peace, enjoying their fresh pastries. Their little get together was finished with the croissants, and they split up for the rest of their lunch period. Adrien practically skipped to the park, grinning over how sweet his friends were. Even though Nino and Alya obviously weren't Ladybug, they sure were nice. He didn't want to forget to thank them in all this 'who is Ladybug' business.

Unfortunately, his happy little skipping was cut short, with an akuma appearing right in front of him at the park. He sighed, a little disappointed for a moment, then grinned because, hey, at least now he can enjoy lunch as Cat Noir.

"Pound it!"

Adrien smiled at Ladybug, glad to share their little victory-bump together. Right as they made contact, he heard a loud, low growl coming from Ladybug's stomach.

Part of him felt bad for laughing. The other part of him knew that it was absolutely hilarious and he had every right to laugh.

"I didn't get to finish my lunch," Ladybug explained, but he hardly heard her through his laughter.

"Should I treat you, my Lady?" He offered, clearing his throat jokingly. He knew he couldn't _actually_ treat her right now, since their miraculouses would run out in a few minutes, but it was a nice thought to offer.

"Not today, kitty. Maybe some other time, though," She laughed, giving Cat a little hope that he might one day actually be able to treat her!

"And what should I prepare for? I hope you aren't a big fan of spicy foods," He laughed, remembering way back to when Nino pranked him with 'totally not spicy beef jerky', which was in fact extremely spicy beef jerky.

"No, just some croissants will do for me. I happen to love croissants," Ladybug answered with a mature smile, and Cat blinked, staring at her for a moment. He felt a little ripple of familiarity rush through him when she said those words, and he knew she must have seen it too. But he recollected himself quickly, not wanting to seem too insane, just staring at her.

"I love them too," He grinned, going back to his typical joking self, "We really are made for each other!"

She laughed and rolled her eyes, a familiar sight that he had grown to love. She waved her goodbyes, and flew off into the city.

Adrien knew that walking around with a sneaky smirk probably looked suspicious when he wasn't Cat Noir anymore, but he couldn't hold it back. Even though croissants were obviously common, the fact that she _just so happened_ to miss lunch on the day Marinette _just so happened_ to be late to lunch because she was sharing _croissants_ with Adrien was a little bit important.

"She's sneaky," He laughed, "I'll give her that."


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, Adrien tried to hang out with Marinette a lot more. He invited her to lunch again, and talked to her between every class. The next day after that, he talked to her even more. And the day after that, too. With every day, he talked with her more and more, even searching for her at the lockers before class. Nino laughed at him and teased him a little, calling him "attacked at the hip to Marinette". But Adrien didn't mind Nino's teasing. And things were going better when hanging out with Marinette, too. She was already pretty calmed down around him, but now she was ever more confident! She seemed to be really happy with how closer they were getting, too, and if Adrien's suspicion was right then she, too, was seeking him out to hang out with. She was getting so much more confident, she even interrupted him one time to correct him! Even if she did apologize like crazy for it, he was happy that she felt so relaxed with him. Adrien felt happy with her. In fact, he felt like he was getting more confident, too. Not really in the stuttering way, like Marinette, but confident in himself and in her. Confident that he could basically tell her anything and trust her with anything! Well, except the whole Cat Noir thing, but he was almost positive that he could trust her with that pretty soon, too.

Aside from the whole confidence thing with Marinette, there was another thing they were both feeling, too. Adrien wasn't sure if Marinette felt the exact same thing as him, but she sure looked like she did. Every time he'd make some awful joke, or she took control and told him how to do something- from homework to a puzzle they were making- they'd share this look. It would leave as soon as it came, within a second, but it was definitely there.

Familiarity.

He was familiar with her, and she was familiar with him.

As they days went on with this continuing pattern of them hanging out more and more, their familiar looks lasted longer and longer. But they never brought up the superheros. Adrien wasn't really worried about it, though, since he was basically positive she was Ladybug. But he wanted to wait until _she_ was comfortable talking about it.

Well, he originally planned it like that, until he ended up thinking out loud when studying at her house.

"Cat Noir is pretty cool, huh?" He asked, eating some of the cookies Marinette gave him. He hadn't really realized he said that until she reacted to it, and he was surprised at himself for saying it at all.

"Um… Yeah…" She nodded, obviously surprised and a little tense.

"W-Well," Adrien retried, trying to relax her-and himself, "You met him that one time, right? With Nathanael and all?"

"Oh!" She nodded quickly, and he was relieved to see her relax, "Yes, I did. And yes, he is cool."

Adrien grinned, trying to hold back the obvious pride. Yes, Cat Noir is super cool. And she agrees! So even if she _isn't_ Ladybug, which she totally is, at least she thinks Cat is cool. Besides, who else gets _that_ tense when talking about those household names! Hmm!

"Yeah…" He nodded, knowing he probably looked way too proud to be some 'proud fan'. Usually he's be pretty reserved when talking about Cat Noir to other people, just in case, but with Marinette, he didn't mind showing obvious pride.

"Ladybug is cool, too…" Marinette added, acting totally 'nonchalant'. Like the nonchalant you act when you and your friend have a secret and are talking about that secret in code. That nonchalant.

"She sure is," He agreed quickly, joining her and staring out the window like he was innocent.

"I wonder what they're like in their normal lives." She started with a jokingly mysterious voice, "Alya already determined their grades, after all."

Adrien snorted a laugh, covering his mouth.

"Well, I'm sure they're nice," He answered, smiling, "and very, very cool."

"You don't think he's only cool as Cat Noir?" Marinette asked, facing him.

"I'm sure he's super cool!"

 _Wait,_ Adrien gulped, _That was way too fast. And enthusiastic. Nice job, secret-keeper…_

He took a quick breath and steadied himself, internally glaring at her because he _knew_ she planned that.

"He strikes me as a very cool person," He defended proudly.

Marinette giggled, relaxing him a little.

"I agree, I think he would be very cool in his normal life as well." She nodded.

Adrien felt his insides swell up with pride. It's not like he hasn't been called cool before, but still. _Marinette_ called him cool. In some weird, twisted, confusing way.

They grinned, sharing that very familiar look with each other. Soon they got back to their schoolwork, and spent some time in actual silence.

As Adrien worked on his homework, he started to think about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. They'd both been dropping little hints, that would seem innocent if his suspicion was wrong, but if it was right? Well then those 'little hints' were pretty obvious. And hey, it was a little different than he expected or hoped.

Sure, Adrien hoped their reveal would be something romantic and over-the-top, with a kiss and riding off into the sunset. Sure, he hoped they'd find out when he properly confessed his love (not like Valentine's Day…) or something romantic like that. They'd end their detransformation together with a kiss and go on their merry way in love.

Eating chocolate chip cookies while working on science homework was a _tad bit different_ from what he daydreamed about.

But to be honest, this way was perfect.


	10. Chapter 10

Sometimes Adrien would doze off into space, and think. Think about things, like gas prices or how do snakes look when they're pregnant. Like, sure, they lay eggs so they aren't pregnant as long as mammals, but they have to develop the eggs, still. Do they look like how they do when they eat an egg? All thin and swollen on the spot where the egg is? How many eggs do they lay? In every picture Adrien ever saw of an egg nest from any other reptiles had like at least five eggs per nest. Did mama snakes just look like they ate five or more eggs? Do they all sit in a row, or are they bunched together? How does that possibly work? How does the mama snake-

"-Don't enjoy the game, y'know!"

 _Crap_.

Adrien nodded quickly, pulling his mind back to the present.

"Yeah, totally," He nodded, pretty oblivious. Well, he knew what she was talking about. She had been ranting about this double-combo thing from this new game of hers for the past ten minutes. He stopped listening a little while in, since he had absolutely no idea how that game worked. But he knew she hated the combo she was talking about.

"Whatever, it's frustrating," She laughed, crossing her arms. Clearly she could tell he was lost, but she didn't really mind.

"It sure sounds like it." He agreed, this time honestly.

Suddenly, his phone beeped, alerting him of his upcoming photoshoot.

"Hey, I got to go, sorry!" He apologized, not wanting to leave, "I had a lot of fun studying with you today, though. Thank you so much for having me over!"

"Of course!" Marinette grinned, helping him get his books, "You can come over whenever!"

He grinned, completely flattered at her offer. For a half of a second, he remembered back to just a year ago, when he was homeschooled with not a single friend in the world. Now he had one who was offering for him to come over whenever he wanted! He knew he was probably a little pink in the cheeks, but he just hoped she didn't notice that part.

After saying goodbye to her parents as well, he got in the car to go to his photoshoot. On the way in, he started to think back to her comment and how he felt. He never really remembered _when_ exactly he started crushing on her, as well as Ladybug. Was it before he figured out that she was almost positively Ladybug? Was it after? Well, whenever it was, at least he finally figured out that he was, in fact, crushing on both of them. At least he didn't really have to decide between two girls, if his suspicion was correct.

But right as the car started to move, he noticed the giant pillar of smoke coming from the library. He almost audibly cheered, but thankfully he held it in. One of the best things about akuma attacks was that for safety purposes, his photoshoots were _canceled_. So now he was free for the next few hours!

For Adrien's next few 'free hours', he of course spent it beating up an akuma alongside Ladybug.

After the exhausting fight, he sat next to Ladybug against the wall. They both should be leaving soon, since their miraculouses wouldn't last much longer. But they were both so tired, they needed this little break.

"You alright, Ladybug?" He asked, resting his back against the wall.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," She nodded, clearly drawing herself back from space, "You?"

"I'm good. Although a little tired," He laughed with a yawn.

"Me too," Ladybug nodded, exasperation clear in her voice, "That was ridiculous. We need to have some kind of battle plan for the next time someone with that much energy gets turned into an akuma."

"We should make up some kind of fight-combo," He joked, punching the air.

Ladybug looked up, surprised. Her eyes squinted, suspicious.

"I don't know, battle combos seem like a bad idea," She said, shaking her head.

"I think they're a great idea. After all, they work so well in video games."

 _That's right. I was listening to you._

To any outsider, it was an innocent remark. An addendum to prove his point, nothing more. But judging by her glare, Adrien knew she saw it as was way more than just a little remark.

They stared back at each other for a moment, and it was as it some proverbial 'red tape' was being cut. It was the final straw, the proving point.

And he saw that same old familiarity in her eyes.

 **For those who are wondering:** post/140599496449/recent-excursion-based-on-a-question-i-wrote-on-a


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Finally, the end! Feel free to review if you liked and wanted a continuation!**

Was ten times too excessive? Surely glancing behind his shoulder to grin at Marinette had some kind of numerical limit, right? But when the think about it, it was _only_ ten times. Only when the teacher turned around! So sure, Marinette was starting to glare at him for turning around so much, but he couldn't help it! He had to see her! Ever since the day started, he had been following her basically the entire day. He felt like a puppy waiting for a treat- the treat being words along the lines of 'I am Ladybug'. Obviously she couldn't say it during school, but it was the thought that counted. For some reason, having the whole 'video game combo' joke was like the actual reveal itself, and everything felt so much more real.

Marinette was Ladybug. Ladybug was Marinette.

And so help him if that wasn't a good reason to constantly want to be with someone.

Unfortunately, Nino noticed Adrien all but fawning over her, and questioned him at the lockers when the school day ended.

"Come on, bro!" Nino harassed, poking a finger at Adrien, "Just ask her out already!"

"Dude, it's not that simple!" He hissed back, trying to keep voice down and punching Nino's arm. People could hear him! What if one of them told Marinette he wanted to ask her out?!

"Yes, it is!" Nino laughed, "Dude, ask her!"

"I can't just ask Marinette-"

"Ask me what?"

Adrien felt his blood turn to ice, the only thing keeping his stomach from dropping through tot the earth's core was Nino's jerk-face grin.

"No-Nothing!" Adrien answered quickly, smacking Nino's arm as hard as he could. Adrien was already scared to ask her out, and now it was Nino's fault that she heard him!

"Dude, now!" Nino prompted, pushing Adrien forward a little.

Adrien glared at Nino, both furious and terrified. Sure, the _logical_ part of his brain told him Marinette would obviously say yes, and things would go over fine, but when logic and raw emotion fight, emotion always wins. And right now, Mr. Emotion was telling Adrien to be scared.

"Um, Marinette…" He sighed, shoving Nino out of the way for at least _some_ privacy, "This weekend, if you're free, would you, y'know… Want to go out with me?"

He stared at his feet for a moment, too nervous to say it while actually looking her in the eye. But when he was met with silence for an answer, he glanced up. Was she actually going to say no?

He was answered by her ridiculous grin, and her quick nods. He felt relief rush through him, as well as a strange voice of "I told you so" coming from the logical part of him.

Neither of them were actually to make real sentences for a short while, but eventually they actually set up a place and time: They'd go to the movies, and then eat lunch together.

When the fateful date arrived- who knew a model could get so worried over how he looked- and Adrien made sure he wore his favorite hat. It was a typical black snapback, but under the visor was a large green pawprint. It was a typical fan item you can buy in any store, but it was his favorite Cat Noir merchandise because it almost felt sneaky. You'd have to look to see the pawprint, after all.

Marinette clearly was thinking in a similar way, wearing a homemade red-and-black bracelet. She was really cute, by the way. Like, _really_ cute.

Adrien was so excited to actually go on a real life date with her, with the real life Marinette/Ladybug! And she was going on a date with him! And they were going to pick a movie and go sit and watch the movie and eat popcorn and maybe even hold hands! And then they'd go eat together! On a date! And then he could walk her home and maybe he'd even get a change to hug her! Or maybe, maybe if he was lucky, he'd even get to _kiss_ her! Or maybe they'd-

Adrien's fantasies were quickly interrupted by a loud crash from the concession stands as an underappreciated worker started to grow into an all-too-familiar monster. Adrien was shocked for a moment, still bring pulled back into reality from his daydreams, but thankfully Marinette was fully lucid.

"U-Uh, we should leave so we don't get hurt!" She said, almost like an order, grabbing his wrist and leading him out of the theater. She seemed so focused that it surprised Adrien for a moment that she had forgotten which class she was in only a day before.

He saw her rush away, not seen by the scared crowd, which reminded him- _you should get away, too_.

He had been to this theater before when there was an akuma, and he knew there was this giant dumpster behind the building that he could transform behind.

But right as he rushed behind the dumpster and ducked down, he realized that a certain someone was there too.

"Adrien!"

"Marinette!"

For a moment, he was surprised. Just the sudden appearance shocked him, but then he remembered the facts that she was in fact Ladybug and needed to hide here too. This was a bit… Complicated. They both started to talk at the exact same time.

"Adrien, I need to tell you something-"

"Marinette, there's something you should know-"

They blinked, then shared a quick laugh, then stared into each other's eyes. Comradery, friendship, and familiarity. They spoke, this time together:

" _I know."_


End file.
